Genya

I was born in the beautiful country of Ukraine and spent my childhood surrounded by my big family. My brother and I were still in elementary school when our parents, drawn towards new horizons, moved us to Montreal - a city I love to this day. Inspired by the visual arts, I decided to pursue professional photography, and, like many romantics, my heart longed for life in a far away country where I could experience a new and fascinating culture. Just a few years later, I decided that, amongst all the places I’d visited, Mexico was it. I arrived in the Cancun airport with one piece of luggage and a camera. It was six months before some visiting friends finally signed me up for some Tango lessons…

Erik

I grew up in a beautiful home built by my parents in the foothills of Mexico City, back when the city was a third of the size that it is today. From childhood, I loved playing music and sports, but it wasn’t until years later that I discovered another passion: traveling. Exploring the world taught me that I needed to be close to nature and I moved to the Caribbean coast, near Cancun. It was here that I discovered deep sea diving - and I’ve spent hours photographing stunning underwater life in the cenotes. I also started playing original music in a local band and taking tango lessons…

Genya + Erik Shenko

It was March of 2007 when we first saw each other and danced our first Tango. We started dating and, a week later, we moved in together on the same day we celebrated Erik’s birthday on the beach in Tulum with friends, music, campfires, and a million stars. Since then, we’ve shared incredible moments, passions, and dreams. Our visions of life and the world are alike in many ways, but not in all; we complement each other perfectly, certain that we make each other better every day that we spend together. During the past 7 years, we’ve gotten married twice! In our first year living together in Montreal, it was just the two of us and witnesses. A year and a half ago, it was on the beach in Tulum with all of the most wonderful people in the world that we call family and friends. In a fairytale, this is where you add “and they lived happily ever after.” However, for us, “ever after” is just today and every day that we consciously and fully choose to live out our love story.

WORKING WITH US

BREAKING THE ICE: Great! Now that you know us, it’s time to get to know you. Anything and everything about you two and your big day – we want to hear it from your very first email. (Write us at info{at}shenkophoto{dot}com ) It may seem like overkill, but choosing a photographer is an extra important step. We want you to be really excited about us, and, since we only shoot a limited number of weddings per year, we want to make sure we are a great fit for you. Getting to know you is the foundation of our work, so we may not respond emails asking only about prices and dates.

WE INCLUDE A PRE-WEDDING SESSION WHEN YOU BOOK A WEDDING WITH US: It is extremely important for us to learn how you interact with each other so that we can capture your genuine relationship. So we include an informal, pre-wedding photo shoot with all of our lovely couples before the big day. It’s low-key and fun; we all enjoy this part! Usually we meet you in your neighborhood or at the hotel where you are staying, grab coffee, hang-out and take casual romantic photos. As a little gift, you’ll find some sneak peaks on our Facebook page and, within a few weeks, you’ll receive about 50 edited photos via our online gallery.

HOW DO WE WORK: We keep it simple and natural. Whether it’s a wedding or “A Day in the Life,” we document what’s happening without intervening, seeking creative angles to accentuate certain moments. Group photos, as well as details like flowers, the dress, and rings are all part of the reporting process – we include them with the same care with which we capture all of the other pieces of the day. During the private session with the couple, we give the pair space to be themselves because we love taking pictures of people at their most authentic. We avoid formal poses, but may ask the couple to move for better light or composition or otherwise direct them if necessary.

WE ARE CREATIVES WHO RESPECT OTHER CREATIVES: We respect the work of other photographers as much as we do our own; therefore, we do not copy photographs taken by other professionals. We don’t use shot lists either – every wedding is entirely unique and what we do as artists cannot be summed up in a series of boxes to check. If you hire us, it’s because you like our work and trust us to do it well, so please don’t ask us to imitate your Pinterest board (: However, if there are details or moments that are particularly important to you, we’d love to know!

We so look forward to telling a story with you. Bring your love and your energy and we’ll transform it into images that are truly “you”.